


scale my walls, steal my heart

by chahans



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Robin Hood, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Multi, POV Alternating, daichi is next in line for the throne, more like, more pairings will be added as i go along, partners in crime to lovers, robinhood au, royal au, slight angst??, suga is the leader of a gang of baby crows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-07-25 11:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7530067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chahans/pseuds/chahans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>((EDIT: This work has been abandoned. I will leave it up until I recycle the au and use it for a different fic of mine. I'm sorry, but I just can't bring myself to continue this :( thank you to everyone who loved this fic))</p><p> </p><p>
  <i>“Okay, but if someone catches me outside?”</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  <i>“Daichi, you have literally never walked through those gates, no one is going to recognize you unless you start shaking hands and go ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Sawamura Daichi, First Prince of Karasuno!’”</i></p><p> </p><p>In other words Daichi is the prince of Karasuno, soon to take the throne, who has never been outside the palace walls. Sugawara is the leader of a gang that steals from the rich and gives to the poor. The robinhood au that no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. where the people are

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys!! so this is my first fic in a reeeeeally long time since the last time i wrote something it was in 7th grade;;; but please bare with me as i try to get the hang of things! 
> 
> i'm not really sure what to tag this since im just kinda rolling with it but i'll update tags and pairings as we get farther into the story

Ants.

That’s probably what Daichi would compare the city folk to. Just tiny specks busying around in the distant streets, colliding into each other as they ran their morning errands in the bright kingdom of of Karasuno. Sometimes Daichi would like to lean on his balcony railing and stare out past the palace walls and make up stories in his head of what each person was doing. That brown dot over there was an apple merchant, and she had to support her 17 children on her own because her husband was bedridden with the mumps, and it was especially difficult this year since a swarm of locusts had ruined their fruit. The cluster of people in the town square was a troupe of actors trying to make it in the big city, he thinks. They’ve been travelling for years from kingdom to kingdom, but so far no one has taken a liking to their reproduction of ‘Hamlet’ where everyone is cats. Daichi wipes away an imaginary tear. The world can be cruel.

“Something the matter, sir?” says a voice behind him, disrupting his thoughts.

“Ants,” Daichi replies.

His advisor, a tall man with long brown hair tied in a bun, is taken aback. “Pardon, sir?”

Daichi turns away from the edge of the balcony and leans his elbows on the railing, fully facing his advisor, and gives him a small nod in greeting. “Nothing, Asahi. I was just thinking how the people down in the streets look like ants.”

“Ahh,” says Asahi in understanding. “I guess you’ve got of time on your hands, your Majesty?”

“Asahi…” Daichi warns.

Asahi quickly flinches and retracts his words, hands fluttering everywhere in panic. “Uh, I mean, what I meant to say was that you…” he trails off. “Must really care for...your subjects, your Majesty?” Asahi finishes pathetically.

Daichi jabs Asahi in the gut. “No, idiot. I mean stop calling me ‘sir’ and ‘your Majesty’ and that bullshit. Tell me Asahi, how long have we known each other?”

Keeled over, Asahi weakly replies, “Since we were children…?”

“Right. So imagine how weird it is that your best friend now speaks to you like a god.”

“Well I mean,” Asahi straightens back up. “In a year you practically are one.”

Daichi pinches the bridge of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut. “Don’t remind me. Free time is something I definitely do not have right now.”

“Hey, don’t stress too much yet! Your birthday is in December, which was last month, so you’ve got the whole year to plan for your coronation.”

Daichi ruffles his hair in frustration, a nervous tick of his. “Yeah, but it’s not the coronation I’m worried about, it’s what comes after that. What if I can’t do it? What if I fail all of Karasuno and I lose everything my father had worked so hard for?”

Asahi puts a reassuring hand on Daichi’s shoulder. “Stop it. You’re gonna do great, ok? Plus, you’re not in this alone, I’ll always have your back.”

Gratefully, Daichi puts his hand over Asahi’s. His loyal advisor, and closest friend, he always knew what to say, even if he had the nerves of a butterfly. “I know, you’re right. It’s just…” Daichi glances to the ground. The chilly January breeze whips past their cloaks and scatters leaves at their feet from a nearby potted tree. “I still can’t believe that he’s gone.” Asahi’s brow furrows and he nods in understanding, giving Daichi’s shoulder a squeeze. It had been several months since the passing of Karasuno’s king, Daichi’s father. As the next in line for the throne, Daichi stepped up to take his father’s place and become crowned on his 21st birthday.

“I know, I can’t believe it either. But you’re his only son, and I think he was setting up the throne for you anyway. Daichi, you’ve been preparing for this role your whole life.”

“Well, not his only son.”

“Right, right, but you know what I mean. His only real son.”

“Hey,” Daichi warned. “Ennoshita is just as much as my father’s son as I am.”

“I know I’m just saying that he’s...y’know…” Asahi grimaced sheepishly. “A _sort-of_ son?”

Daichi rolled his eyes. “Your point being?”

“My point is…” Asahi gives him a sincere look. “That you’ve got a lot on your plate. And no one expects you to be perfect on the first try. Who’s ever heard of a prince becoming king at 21?”

“Oikawa did it at 18.”

Asahi snorts. “You’re not helping. And that’s different. Seijoh is a powerhouse and Oikawa probably has enough manpower to overtake Shiratorizawa.”

“Ah, but it would take a genius to accomplish that,” Daichi says deviously as he raises his eyebrow. The friends guffaw at the joke of the neighboring kingdom’s king, and Asahi makes to take his leave.

“I just came to remind you about our meeting. I’ll see you later at our counsel with Lord Yoshikawa later, okay?” He nods. “And, Daichi?” Asahi looks over his shoulder as he steps through the doorway. “I think your father would already be proud of you.”

Daichi smiles softly. “Thanks, Asahi.” Asahi nods and walks back inside the palace.

Letting out a long sigh Daichi turns back around to look over the railing at the bustling city life in the distance, beyond the white palace walls. The palace towered above the shops and homes of Karasuno’s citizens, and the wide wall that encircled the palace grounds kept them out. _More like keeps me in_ , Daichi thinks. In his 20 years of life Daichi had never set his foot outside of the palace. _And I probably won’t, for a looong time, what with taking over my many kingly responsibilities._ He huffs again and rests his head on his arms, his eyelids lowering, and letting the wind ruffle through his hair. For being mid-January, the sun was surprisingly warm, and basked down upon the kingdom. Patches of slushy snow in the streets had turned brown and muddy as people scampered from stall to stall at the marketplace. Vendors yelled out their wares and customers bartered over prices. The streets all twisted around the palace and grew out from the center of the kingdom like cracks in a mirror. In the far off distance, just before the horizon, if Daichi squinted he could see the outskirts of the kingdom as shorter buildings tapered off into farmland. He reminisces about when he was a young boy and he thought that the palace was the biggest thing in the world. Now, he realizes, that it’s actually suffocating. He can’t believe that he’s lived his whole life knowing nothing else but the palace and this lifestyle. And really, why would he? The palace has everything that a prince could need: the food, the mentors, the gardens, the armory. But it baffles Daichi that unless he was needed by a neighboring kingdom, then he wouldn’t ever leave the castle grounds.

He couldn’t ever leave.

It was unheard of. Daichi recalls the times when he was younger and he begged his tutors to let him skip classes and take a walk through town, just for one day.

_‘A prince needs to follow his studies diligently so that you may one day take over the throne.’_

_‘No, you can’t go outside. It’s dangerous out there. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, Prince Daichi.’_

_‘Why do you want to go outside? It’s not as nice as the palace. You have everything you could ever want here.’_

Daichi remembers how upset he was back then. He became especially envious that his father would take Ennoshita, his half-brother, the illegitimate son of the king, with him when attending to foreign matters with nearby kingdoms. That had really rubbed him the wrong way.

But as time went on and Daichi became more focused on his studies, his curiosity diminished about the outside world, and his jealousy towards his half-brother placated somewhat. Speaking of…

“Need something, Ennoshita?” Ennoshita Chikara, the second (albeit illegitimate) son of the late King Sawamura, steps out from the shadow of the doorway. He has a sheepish smile on his sleepy face. “Caught you red-handed, you eavesdropper.”

Ennoshita walks up next to Daichi and also leans against the railing. “Hey, now. I just didn’t want to interrupt your lovely moment with Azumane-san. It seemed like you two really had a-” he waggles his eyebrows, “bonding moment.”

Daichi scowls. “Bonding moment my ass. I know you want to help fill Father’s shoes, but please, trying to marry me off to every breathing thing that walks by isn’t helping anyone.”

“You’re right, I’m teasing,” Ennoshita chuckles. Daichi smiles. Ennoshita was probably the only person he tolerates enough to let him get away with the teasing. Ennoshita leans over the railing and pulls his coat in closer to his body, gazing out at the view. Daichi wondered if what he saw was the same as what Daichi saw. When Daichi looked out at the town, he saw the outlines of buildings, the bustling of ants in the streets, the smoke rising from chimneys on a cold day. But Ennoshita? Ennoshita was born outside the palace walls. Maybe he remembered the street names, maybe those buildings were more than just blurry outlines, maybe that town fountain was where he used to play with his friends. Would Ennoshita be old enough to remember things like that? He came to live with them when he was seven…

Daichi lets his thoughts trail off and the two of them are content to just stare out at the view. “Do you remember any of it?” he asks.

“What?”

“The outside world, I mean. Beyond that wall.”

“Well I mean, I was really young when I moved here.” Ennoshita shrugs. “I remember the street my mom and I used to live on and the bakery at the corner. They sold really good rolls.” He licks his lips. “But that’s about it. No real big specifics.”

Daichi looked at him incredulously. “Really? Even though Father took you on all those excursions when he had to visit other kingdoms?”

“Oh, yes. Those were fun, I guess. It was mainly me just sitting in the carriage as we rode through the upperclass side of the kingdom to get to the next town. Father rode in a separate carriage, though, I just had a nanny to accompany me.”

“But still,” Daichi shook his head, “you got to go _outside_. I remember being so jealous of you. You made them seem like they were the most fun trips in the world.”

Ennoshita chuckles. “I was a kid, I must’ve over exaggerated.” His smile drops. “Wait, you mean that Father never took you on one of his trips?”

“No? I thought you knew that.”

“I guess not. Man, you would think that you would be the one he’d take with him on his diplomatic trips, what with you being the one to inherit the throne and all,” Ennoshita said in disbelief.

“I’m pretty sure he was scared I’d get kidnapped or something. I always had to stay home and study and “take your role as a prince seriously” but I guess with you he could-”

Ennoshita looked up at him, knowing what Daichi was about to say. “He could what?”

“No, wait sorry Ennoshita I didn’t mean it like that-”

“Mean it like what? That I’m just a sort-of son, so it’s okay if something happens to me?”

Daichi’s grit his teeth. “So you heard that huh.”

“Yeah.”

“Listen, please don’t hold it against Asahi, he’s a really good guy…”

Ennoshita gave a small, tired smile. “I know. I’m not even mad. I’ve heard way worse, anyways.” There was a pregnant pause as Daichi grasped for words to apologize. Although they were related by blood, in no way did the two ever feel as close as brothers. More like a “Hey I cheated on your mother and this guy is the result so he’s gonna live with us but don’t feel the need to befriend him!” kinda way. Thinking about it now, Daichi realizes there’s so much about Ennoshita that he doesn’t know. They lived together in the same palace, but their lives were worlds away. As an illegitimate child, Ennoshita was never expected to take the throne and therefore didn’t receive the same extensive training and lessons that Daichi did. They hardly played together as children, but Daichi had taken Ennoshita under his wing when he first moved into the castle by himself. It must have been scary, Daichi thought, to move away from your mother and into the life of the king, whom you have never met before, and live with complete strangers in a huge castle. Growing up, Ennoshita was the ignored son; he was considered an outsider, but never quite treated like scum, he was of royal lineage, but would never be treated like a king. Ennoshita Chikara was little more than a ghost that inhabited the palace. He was the living definition of a gray area, Daichi thought.

“What I was trying to say,” Daichi continues, “was that since you’re the second son, you had a lot less responsibility, but also a lot less attention. Maybe those trips were Father’s way of making things up to you?” he offers.

Ennoshita shrugs. “Yeah, but a pretty spotty way of making things up if you ask me.” He lets out a long sigh.

Daichi straightens up. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Do you ever wish that you got to stay and live with your mother?”

Ennoshita turns around, leaning his back against the railing and staring up at the roof of the palace. “Honestly? I think if I could go back in time I would. But life’s a funny thing, Daichi. Did I ever ask to be born with a mother who is a dishwasher and to a father that’s a king? No. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want this life.” He looks over at Daichi. “Sometimes life picks out your path for you and you just get to follow it.”

Daichi rolls his eyes. “Tell me about it.” Another pause. “Do you miss your mom?”

Ennoshita nods. “Oh yeah. Everyday.”

Daichi hums in agreement. “Yeah. I miss mine too.” His mother had passed away when he was about eight, which is what prompted his father to finally bring Ennoshita to come live with them.

“But I get to visit her sometimes, so it’s okay I guess,” Ennoshita shrugs.

“Yeah, but that’s not enough. Honestly Father should have let her come live at the palace with you.”

Ennoshita barked a laugh. “I think that would be too scandalous, even for him. Having sex with a commoner and claiming her baby? A-okay according to Pops. Inviting her to live amongst royalty? Noo way!” He made an ‘x’ with his arms. Ennoshita chuckled dryly. “Can you imagine him falling in love with a commoner? That’s just not how it goes, they should’ve drilled that into your head by now Daichi.”

“Ugh, falling love is the last thing on my mind right now. Besides I’ve been pretty much cockblocked by society because I can never leave this stupid palace,” he says sarcastically.

“You’re the king now, make your own rules.”

Daichi looked at him in disbelief. “I can’t just do that.”

“Just,” Ennoshita makes a shooing motion with his hands. “Leave.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“No,” Ennoshita deadpans.

“I’ve been trying to visit outside the palace walls for years, what makes you think the guards are gonna suddenly open the gates for me now?”

“Well then, just make sure they don’t find out,” Ennoshita shrugs.

Daichi can’t believe what Ennoshita is saying. He can’t just walk out of the palace grounds.

Could he?

“Whoa, no, hold up.” Daichi raises his arms. “Someone will recognize me.”

“Wear a disguise. Take the uniforms they give to the servants.”

“Okay, but if someone catches me outside?”

“Daichi you have literally never walked through those gates, no one is going to recognize you unless you start shaking hands and go ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Sawamura Daichi, First Prince of Karasuno!’”

“I know, but so many things could go wrong. I’m just not willing to take that chance,” Daichi says. _Jesus,_ he’s starting to sound like Asahi.

“Daichi, calm down,” Ennoshita says in his relaxed manner. “No one’s forcing you to leave. I just figured that maybe after all these years you’d finally like to go outside without having Father judging your every movement. But it’s your call.” Ennoshita pushes himself away from the railing.

“It’s just safer for me and everyone else if I stay here and do my job. It’s my duty,” is what Daichi says, but in his heart Daichi is screaming _No! No you fool this could be your only chance, you have to take it!_ He gazes out at the cityscape again longingly. It’s a bad idea, he thinks. There are too many variables that he can’t control, something’s bound to go wrong. “Besides, I don’t have any _real_ reason to go down there.”

Ennoshita nods. “Right, and it’s not like you’ve been itching to bust out of here for years or anything.” He starts to stroll towards the doorway, leisurely, with his hands clasped behind his back. “I mean, honestly, if I were you I would just go for a quick stroll down to the plaza, visit my mom for me, pop into the bakery,” he lists. “It’s not like in a couple months your face will be so recognizable that you won’t be able to go anywhere by yourself without getting swarmed by your thousands of subjects.”

Ennoshita’s right. Daichi won’t ever get to walk through the streets, or look around at the shops and the city life. He’d never be able to visit the town during night and see how the lights illuminate the window displays, or how families gather by the plaza fountain to chat after a Sunday service, he’d never be able to taste real freedom.

“Fuck it. Let’s do this.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> daisuga coming soon >>>>
> 
> my blog is chahans ,,plz let me know if im doing an ok job;
> 
> comments are greatly appreciated!!! let me know what you like or didn't, it motivates me to write faster ! seriously


	2. first steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> crown prince meets hot flower boy what happens next will astound you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im actually sobbing i didn't mean to make this so long
> 
> also for those wondering this takes place in a fictional land

 

 

“Okay, let’s run through this one more time.”

 

Daichi and Ennoshita sit across from each other in Ennoshita’s quarters. It isn’t often that the two are found in each other’s rooms-- they really had no reason to-- but today, Daichi was a man on a mission.

 

“Ennoshita, we’ve been going over the plan all morning. By the time we actually put it into action it’ll be night time,” Daichi says.

 

His half-brother looks up from the detailed notes and hand-drawn maps that lay before them on the table. Ennoshita had been taking extra care into labelling streets and landmarks onto a map he had copied from one he found in the palace library. “I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing!”

 

“It was _your_ idea to help me escape in the first place.”

 

“Yeah, but then I realized that if you get yourself killed out there it’s going to be on me, so,” Ennoshita focuses again on his work. “Just gotta make sure I can send you out into the real world with confidence that you’re able to read a map and follow directions without getting mugged.”

 

Daichi looked down at his half-brother and fixes him a stern gaze. “I am so glad that you have so much confidence in your future king,” he says sarcastically.

“What am I going to tell my mom if someone kidnaps you? ‘Sorry Ma, I won’t be able to visit for a while. I let Daichi into the world on his own and the Crows murdered him so I have to go to jail now,’” Ennoshita shakes his head and wags his finger. “You’re not dying on my watch buster.”

 

Daichi slouches back into his chair. “ _Please_ don’t bring the Crows up again. I’ve had enough with them. Besides, I don’t even think they murder people.” Just vandalise. And rob. And blackmail. Daichi ruffles his hair. The Crows, Karasuno’s newest infamous gang of bandits, had been giving him a headache for months. He just couldn’t pin them down, _nobody_ could. As soon as they hit a house, they were out and gone in the dead of night. Daichi and his father had been trying everything to catch them, to even just _identify_ them; increasing security in neighborhoods,  setting up police stakeouts, placing a bounty... _nothing_ had lead them closer to unmasking the gang.

 

“Right, apparently they just smash fine china and steal family heirlooms, according to Lord Yoshikawa.” Ennoshita had walked with Daichi to his counsel with the lord yesterday and had stayed when Daichi invited him inside to listen. It was nice having someone other than Asahi to talk to. “But we’re getting off track. Tell me one more time what the plan is.”

 

Daichi lets out a huff as he repeats his instructions for the nth time today, turning the map around so that it faced him. “I’ll tell Asahi that I’m going to spend the day with you: done.” He makes a checkmark in the air with his finger. “Wearing the servant uniform that Yachi so graciously gave to you-”

 

“Bless her soul, the sweetest servant I’ve ever met-”

 

“-then we’ll walk down through the cellar door that’s at the back of the dining hall and up on the other side through the door that the servants use. After that we’ll sneak through the vegetable gardens and out the gate the merchants make their deliveries at.”

 

“And if someone stops us?” Ennoshita quizzes.

 

“Pretend to be your bodyguard and pray that they don’t recognize me.”

 

Ennoshita waves his hand. “It’s January, there shouldn’t be anyone tending to the vegetables, we’ll be fine.”

 

“Good,” Daichi continues. “Then from there we’ll split up and I follow your map to your mom’s house. Easy.”

 

“And?”

 

“And what?” Daichi asks.

 

“And what do you have to remember when you’re walking alone in the streets?”

 

“Ennoshita I’m twenty years old I really don’t think I-” Ennoshita clears his throat loudly and widens his eyes, raising his eyebrows. Daichi sighed. “Don’t get close to people and don’t talk to strangers.”

 

“Right, we don’t need you attracting attention to yourself, which is the main reason why I’m not taking you there personally. Usually I would just take a carriage to her front door and a few guards would escort me, but obviously we can’t have any guards knowing where you’re going, so hopefully you don’t get stabbed. Hopefully no one pickpockets you either, I’m only giving you enough money to buy something from the bakery.” Ennoshita tosses a small drawstring pouch to Daichi, who catches it with one hand.

 

Daichi peeks inside and finds a few small coins. “I could have used my own money you know.”

 

“Daichi, the smallest increment of cash you have is enough to buy the whole street.”

 

“You’ve got a point.”

 

Ennoshita stands up, rolling up the map and tying a string around it. “Okay, I think you’re ready.” He hands the map to Daichi who also rises from his seat. “Go change your clothes and come outside when I give you the signal.”

 

Ennoshita starts to head towards his front door but Daichi catches his hand. “Wait, Ennoshita.” He pauses and looks back at Daichi expectantly. “Just...thank you. For everything. I know we may not have been the closest growing up, but nobody’s ever done this much for me before, and it means a lot to me.” Daichi is ecstatic that he is moments away from exploring life beyond the palace walls, his lifelong dream is finally coming true thanks to his brother. Daichi would never be able to repay him, but he would certainly try to do something to thank Ennoshita for his kindness.

 

Ennoshita offers a smile in return and rubs the back of his head with his free hand. “It’s really nothing, Daichi. You deserve to know what it’s like out there, you can’t be expected to stay cooped up in here forever. Consider it a late birthday gift. What are brothers for, right?”

 

“No, I’m serious, how can I ever repay you for this?” Daichi insists.

 

Ennoshita claps his hand on Daichi’s back. “Let’s just worry about getting you to my mother’s place for now.” The sleepy faced boy makes again for the door. He’s about halfway across the room when Daichi calls out again:

 

“I’ll invite her here.” Ennoshita freezes.

 

“What did you say?”

“I said, I’ll invite your mother to live here. You want that, right?” Daichi knows what it’s like to grow up without a mother. He wouldn’t let Ennoshita be separated from his a moment more. He is going to make things up to Ennoshita, not just for helping him, but to try and repair the broken life that their father had bestowed upon his second son. He wouldn’t make the same mistakes that their father did.

 

Ennoshita looks at Daichi, flabbergasted. “Would you really do that? For me?”

 

Daichi shot him a lopsided grin. “I’m in charge now, right? I can make the rules.” Ennoshita still stares at him like Daichi just said he was going to launch himself into the closest volcano.

 

“I mean, I just never thought-” Ennoshita stammers. “I just thought that I’d never get to- Daichi are you being serious?”

 

“Dead serious.”

 

“You’d be going against Father’s wishes, though,” Ennoshita says in disbelief. “You’re the perfect child, are you sure you want to do this?”

 

“We’re already planning my escape, I’m sure breaking a few more rules won’t hurt anyone.” Daichi walks over to him. “Ennoshita, let me do this for you. I’m going to be king and I need people to see that I’m not the same person that Father was; I want to put people’s needs before my own reputation.”

 

And suddenly, Daichi and Ennoshita are kids again, and Ennoshita is fighting back tears that swell in his eyes. Ennoshita, the usually lethargic looking boy, is overcome with emotion as his nose runs. “I honestly thought that I’d never get a chance to be with her again.” Daichi shushes him and brings him into a hug, patting his hair.

 

“Shhh it’s okay, cry it out kid.”

 

“Shut up,” Ennoshita says weakly. Daichi can feel him smiling into his shoulder. Is this how it feels to to be close with your brother? He hopes it is. He’d like to get closer to Ennoshita after ignoring him for so many years. “Thank you, really, Daichi,” he says in a muffled voice.

 

“Hey, what are brothers for right?” Ennoshita breaks apart from the hug and looks up at Daichi with a determined gleam in his eye.

 

“Alright, let’s do this.”

 

\------

  


_Servants’ clothing is really fucking itchy._

 

They had managed to sneak out of Ennoshita’s room without anyone spotting them (thank gods) and are now making their way through the kitchen cellar. Daichi fiddles with his collar and pulls the coarse material away from his neck. He never appreciated his soft velvet clothes as much as he did right now. “Oh my god how do they stand this.”

 

“Shhh,” Ennoshita whispers. “You’re making me anxious, someone’s going to hear you.” Daichi highly doubts that. They had been picking their way through shelves and crates of provisions in the dark cellar, hearing nothing but the occasional rat scampering by their feet. Daichi nudges another sack of potatoes out of their path with his boot and pulls his thin cloak closer to his body, bracing as the crisp winter chill seeps through the wood panels of the cellar door.

 

Ennoshita walks up the steps to the door and places his ear next to it, listening for noises outside. After a moment he pops the door up an inch and peaks out, scanning the garden. “I think it’s clear.” They push the door open and the morning light floods into the cellar, temporarily blinding Daichi.

 

Outside the sky is speckled with pearlescent clouds, as a breeze slowly pushes them along. Although it is mid-winter, the gardens are still thriving in the mild climate as the last traces of snow melt into the mud. Ennoshita helps Daichi up and softly shuts the cellar door closed. The two stand for a minute admiring the view of the palace gardens and the neat columns of flowers, shrubbery, and vegetation. Daichi had often walked through the flower gardens and the hedge maze, but the vegetable gardens were usually only attended to by the servants, and he had never ventured to this side of the castle before.

 

“It’s nice,” he says.

 

Ennoshita claps his hands. “Glad you liked it. Ready to head back inside now?” Daichi shoots him a glare. “Kidding. Only kidding. Let’s go.”

 

The two head off down a sparse dirt path that merchants use when making their daily deliveries. Luckily the path is lined with trees that give enough coverage to the two, and they hastily make their way towards the outer stone wall that encompasses the gardens in hopes that no one will catch them.

 

Daichi pulls his hood over his head. A hundred more yards and they’d be home-free.

 

Eighty yards.

 

Seventy yards…

 

“Prince Ennoshita!” a voice cries out. The two boys freeze in place. _Fuck._

 

They turn slightly to address the voice and find two guards crashing through the gardens towards them. From the looks of their uniforms Daichi notes that these two are still in training, but nevertheless stands behind Ennoshita and keeps his face pointed towards the ground.

 

“Prince Ennoshita,” they pant when they finally catch up to them, hands on their knees. “We’ve been looking for you _everywhere_.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye Daichi sees Ennoshita give the pair a fake smile, one that holds back the annoyance in his voice. “ _Great,_ ” he says.

 

From behind Ennoshita, Daichi eyes the two trainees. The first speaker, the taller one with the shaved head, stands up proudly and looks Ennoshita straight in the eye. The shorter of the two has a wild streak of blond in his spiked hair, and can’t seem to stand still as he continues to bounce on his heels and glance around. Daichi’s never seen them around before, but according to Ennoshita’s strained smile he apparently has.

 

“Ooh, who’s that behind you, Prince?” the shorter one pipes. He tries to go around Ennoshita to get a better look at Daichi’s face. “A new servant?”

 

Ennoshita side-steps and blocks his path. “Nobody. He’s just my new bodyguard. So like I’ve said before, Tanaka, Nishinoya,” he says pointedly to both of them, “ I will _not_ be needing new guards anytime soon.”

 

Nishinoya jumps a foot in the air, looking ready to fight. “You hired a new guard already?! After we’ve been asking you for so long?” Ennoshita grimaces. That was clearly the wrong answer. Nishinoya squints his eyes and tries again to get a glance at Daichi, who shuffles and turns his face away. “What makes this guy so special, huh? He’s not even wearing a proper uniform; that looks like the servants’ rags! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around, stranger, but Ryuu and I can take guys like you any day.” He begins to roll up his sleeves before Ennoshita cuts him off.

 

“You will _not_ be fighting my new guard and you are certainly not going to be joining him as one of my guards anytime soon. Go ask your captain for a different position if you’re so bored of patrolling the grounds.”

 

“But Prince Ennoshita,” Tanaka whines. “Our captain won’t let us apply to be guards for Prince Sawamura because we’re ‘ _still in training,’_ ” he says in a mocking tone with air quotations.

 

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

 

“Just pleeeease let us work as your guards,” Tanaka says as he gets on his knees and clasps his hands together. “We don’t want to waste our time protecting some weeds in the garden when our service could be of much more use protecting you.”

 

Nishinoya follows suit and kneels before the younger prince. “Please give us a chance! We’ll stay out of your hair, we’ll keep you so safe you won’t even notice the people that follow you!”

 

Tanaka elbows his partner harshly. Through clenched teeth he hisses, “We were the ones that followed him, idiot.”

 

Ennoshita continues to glare at them with a strained smile, eyebrow twitching. “For the last time, no. I’m not taking on anymore help right now and you two are just going to get in the way.”

 

“So you won’t accept our help after we’ve been offering for weeks, but suddenly mysterious Mr. No-Name arrives and he’s your new bodyguard? We definitely called dibs!” Tanaka argues.

 

Holding his hand to his heart Nishinoya whispers, “Have you no respect for the dibs, my dear Prince?”

 

Ennoshita huffs angrily, Daichi could practically see the steam coming from his ears. Daichi shifts his weight anxiously. Ennoshita was getting aggravated by these two, he might slip up and blow their cover.

 

“You two don’t even care about who you guard! You just want to be the hotshots of the palace by saying that you’re the prince’s guards, but you can’t, can you? Because you’re still in training and too impatient to work your way up through the ranks to work under Daichi, so you settle for the next best thing: me. Isn’t that right?”

 

“I mean, well, yes but when you put it that way--” Tanaka flounders. “We just wanted our jobs to have some importance, guarding the flowers isn’t doing anyone any help.”

 

 _Clearly,_ Daichi thinks. All they’re doing is preventing Daichi from reaching the gates and pissing off Ennoshita.

 

“I don’t want to hear it Tanaka,” Ennoshita spits.

 

“You can’t blame us for wanting to be Prince Sawamura’s guards,” Nishinoya says in defense. “He’s practically an urban myth; no one’s ever seen him outside of the castle! Tanaka and I have been here for weeks and I don’t think either of us have ever laid our eyes on him.” Huh. Either these guards are really new, or Daichi hasn’t taken a walk in the gardens for longer than he thought. What week was it again? Time can really fly when your entire day is taken up by chasing down thugs and reading through legal paperwork.  

 

“Well maybe you think he’s a living legend, but I don’t. He’s just my half-brother. And you’re just out of luck, because I’m not going to reconsider hiring you. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be taking our leave.” Ennoshita spins on his heel and starts crunching down the path.

 

The young guards jump up and Tanaka grabs Ennoshita’s wrist. “Ennoshita, we deserve a chance-!”

 

“Hey!” Daichi barks. Tanaka and Nishinoya freeze like deer caught in headlights, completely forgetting that Daichi was there. “Let go of the prince’s hand. Now.” Tanaka instantly complies. Daichi stalks up to Tanaka and looks him straight in the eye, throwing caution to the wind about not drawing attention to himself. Is this how people really treat Ennoshita? Daichi knows that he’s an illegitimate child but still, he’s a prince, and even if he wasn’t that doesn’t mean people get to be a dick to him.

 

The two stare each other down for a minute. Or more like, Daichi glares at Tanaka as Tanaka wets himself cuz _jeez_ Daichi can get scary when he’s mad. Tanaka gulps. “I-”

 

“You better be apologizing for your behavior towards Prince Ennoshita, or getting expelled from the guard is going to be the least of your worries right now,” Daichi growls. Tanaka and Nishinoya immediately shut their mouths.  Ennoshita watches as the two of them squirm under Daichi’s stone cold gaze and sighs, placing a hand on Daichi’s shoulder.

 

“It’s okay, let’s just go Dai-” The brothers’ eyes widen as they catch Ennoshita’s mistake. “-kon!” _Fucking save._

 

Nishinoya scoffs. “Your name is Daikon? Like the vegetable?” Daichi fixes his stare back on him and Nishinoya gulps. “-sir?”

 

“You two are guards, _trainees_ at that, who should consider themselves fortunate to even have a conversation with Prince Ennoshita, yet here you are acting like ungrateful children because _he_ won’t listen to _you._ Do you have any idea how hard I’ve had to work to be by his side right now?” Okay, so Daichi admits, that last part was a lie. But he was trying to get a point across. “Do I make myself clear? I don’t want to see either of you pestering him ever again.”

 

Tanaka and Nishinoya nod their heads so fast Daichi thought they were going to fly off.

 

“I-”

 

“We’re-”

 

“We’re really sorry,” they say shamefully as they bow.      

 

Nishinoya straightens up first. “We won’t bother you again, Prince Ennoshita. At least not until we can earn our spot as your guards.” He gives a curt, determined nod towards both of them. “We’ll take our leave now. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Daikon.”

 

Daichi bit his tongue down from correcting him. “And you, Nishinoya.”

 

Tanaka straightens up and gives a glance towards Ennoshita. “I...I’m really sorry, Prince,” he says. The two begin to walk back the way they came. Tanaka glances over his shoulder, “Maybe I’ll see you later.”

 

Ennoshita gives a small wave. “Bye, Tanaka.” Tanaka gives a nod in farewell and jogs to catch up to Nishinoya.

 

When Tanaka and Nishinoya are far enough away Daichi finally let’s out the breath he’s been holding.

 

“Oh my god-”

 

“That was _so_ close-”

 

“Daikon? Really? That’s the best you could think of?” Daichi asks incredulously.

 

“I’m sorry, my tongue slipped!” Ennoshita raises his arms in defense. “But what about you? You let them see your face.”

 

Daichi shrugs sheepishly. “Maybe by the time I’m coronated they’ll forget?”

 

“After that fiasco? Daichi your face is going to be carved into their nightmares for years.”

 

“Well I mean,” Daichi continues. “What are they gonna say, ‘We were a dick to the prince and then got our ass served to us by the king?’ Yeah. I doubt they’ll say anything.”

 

Ennoshita snorts as he laughs. “Don’t give yourself so much credit. You saw them, they’d kill for the attention.” He makes a motion with his hand to signal for them to continue walking.

 

Daichi walks alongside Ennoshita. “We’re probably taking this way too lightly.”

 

“Probably,” Ennoshita agrees. “We’ll burn that bridge when we get there though.”

 

The towering garden wall looms over them as they approach it. The two walk in silence for a few more minutes before Daichi speaks up again.

 

“So, those guys were...interesting.”

 

“Ugh,” Ennoshita rubs his temples. “Tell me about it. They’ve been hounding me for weeks even after I keep turning them away. Don’t they understand that ‘fuck off’ means ‘fuck off’ and not ‘this is an invitation to keep bugging me?’”

 

“I’ve never seen anybody manage to piss you off this much,” Daichi chuckles. “I’m quite impressed actually. They must be pretty special to you if you haven’t gotten them fired yet.”

 

“Hardly,” Ennoshita scoffs.

 

“Not even Tanaka?” Daichi says with a sly smile. “I saw that look he gave you.”

 

Ennoshita rolls his eyes. “As if.” Daichi raises his eyebrows. “Ew, stop.” Ennoshita pushes Daichi’s face away. “Just focus on making it out of here for now.”

 

“I will, for now,” Daichi agrees. He ignores the glare Ennoshita gives him and jogs the last few yards to the large iron gates. The wall that circles the palace is so thick that they need to walk through a short tunnel to reach the gates. They’re rusted with age and use, but still swing open freely when Daichi pulls at the handle.

 

“Why are there no guards here?” Daichi asks Ennoshita.

 

Ennoshita flashes a smug smile. “I may or may not have called in a few favors to make sure that none of the guards would be posted here when we arrive.”

 

“What? Who did you ask?” Daichi asks, shocked.

 

There’s a twinkle in Ennoshita’s eye. “The captain of the guard.”

 

“ _No.”_

 

Ennoshita nods. “Yep.”

 

“And she agreed? Just like that, no questions asked?” The captain of the guard was Daichi’s old sparring partner when he was learning how to fence as well as his archery teacher and _holy hell_ was she a good shot. Daichi can’t believe the captain would allow one of the guards’ posts be left unattended even for a second.

 

“Well, she did say that what I was asking for was ridiculous,” Ennoshita admits. “But she eventually relented after I told her it was super important to me. I do have to repay her, though.”

 

“With what?”

 

Ennoshita shudders. “I have no idea. She told me that is was a favor of equal importance to her.” Daichi is touched. He had no idea Ennoshita went through all of this for him. “But enough about that, she gave me a thirty minute window so the next shift should be coming by soon. Do you have your map? Your money? Keep it tucked in your shirt.”

 

Daichi nods. “Yeah, I’m all set.” Ennoshita slaps him on the back.

 

“Then good luck, Daichi.”

  


\-----

  


Daichi wanders around the crowded streets in awe. He had never seen so many people all in one place. He isn’t used to the bustle of the crowds and the loud cries as people sold their wares and he _certainly_ isn’t used to the stench of sewage in the streets. But nevertheless he marvels at the realness of it all, how unpolished and authentic the city is compared to the pristine halls of the palace.

 

Daichi had been walking for about an hour, admiring the shop displays as he follows Ennoshita’s map, when a boy crashes into him, knocking them both to the ground.

 

“OH my god! I’m so sorry sir, are you alright?” Daichi blinks up in surprise as the boy scrambles to pick himself up. “I’m such a klutz, I wasn’t watching where I was going. Please forgive me! Here, let me get that for you.”  The boys hands flutter nervously as he brushes both of them off and pulls Daichi back to his feet.

 

“Ah, it’s no problem,” Daichi replies, still in a daze. When he straightens up he notices that the boy, who is slightly taller than him, is dressed in worn out clothes and a tattered cloak. The boy crinkles his freckled nose into a worried expression, knitting his brows. _It’s just a kid._ “Are you hurt?”

 

The dark haired boy breaks his worried look and widens his eyes; he clearly wasn’t expecting Daichi to ask him if he was okay. “Yes! I’m fine, thank you,” he replies, managing to give him an embarrassed smile. “I’m very sorry about that. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

 

“It’s really not a big deal,” Daichi waves it off. The boy looks like he’s about to say his farewells and take off when out of the corner of his eye Daichi sees someone peering at them from around the corner of an alley across the road. “Is that your friend over there?”

 

The boy is surprised and glances over his shoulder. “Hm? Oh, yes! That’s my friend,” he answers quickly. He gives his friend a shy wave over his shoulder. The boy’s friend, a tall, lanky, blond boy, only glares back in response.

 

“Erm, he’s got quite a smile,” Daichi says awkwardly.

 

The boy laughs in response, and for the first time since their run-in he doesn’t seem so nervous. “Oh no, Tsukki just has really bad eyesight; he’s squinting because he can’t see me.” The tips of the boy’s ears burn red and he tucks a loose lock of hair behind his ear. Ah.

 

“You should get back to him then, wouldn’t want to keep him worried,” Daichi says. The boy nods and turns around to leave. _Cute kid,_ he thinks.

 

“Have a nice day, sir-”

 

“YAMAGUCHIII!” a wail pierces the air. The boy whips around to find a blur of orange hurtling towards him from down the street.

 

“Hinata?! What the-?” Yamaguchi (Daichi assumes that that was his name) is tackled by a smaller boy with bright orange hair who looks like he’s been running from the devil. He clambers around Yamaguchi and hides behind his back.

 

“Hide me! Kageyama’s coming,” he begs. Yamaguchi tries to shake the boy off and claws at his hands.

 

“Hinata, this is not the time, get off!” Yamaguchi struggles with the boy. Daichi sees the blond boy across the street sprint to Yamaguchi’s aid, looking incredibly pissed.

 

“No, you don’t understand Yamaguchi, Kageyama is gonna _kill_ me,” Hinata practically cries, his arms tightening around Yamaguchi’s waist. Blondie, (Tsukki, was it?), marches up to his friends and glowers down at them.

 

He grabs Yamaguchi’s hand and whispers, “ _It’s time to go. Now._ ”

 

“No no nonono Tsukishima, he’s gonna find me, he’s _so angry-_ ” Hinata screeches as said angry-boy rounds the corner raging with energy.

 

“Oh my god Hinata you are _so fucking dead_ when I get my hands on you!” he roars. Kageyama comes pounding down the pavestones and rips a squealing Hinata off of Yamaguchi, slamming him against the alley wall. At this point a few passersby stop to spectate the commotion.

 

Hinata struggles against Kageyama’s grip and ends up kneeing him in the stomach. “Jesus fuck, I said I was sorry!” Kageyama growls in  irritation and draws back his fist.

 

“Dumbass, sorry isn’t gonna cut it!” Kageyama is about to swing when Daichi gets in between them and shoves them off of each other.

 

“Hey, cut it out you two!” he orders. More people stop to stare at the fight taking place in the alley, while others hurry their children along away from the scene.

 

Kageyama staggers back. “He started it!” he shouts in his defense.

 

“Did not!” Hinata argues.

 

“Did too!”

 

“Did not!”

 

Yamaguchi raises his hands and tries to calm the two down. “Guys, this isn’t the time for this. We need to go,” he urges. He places a hand on Kageyama’s shoulder but Kageyama violently shrugs it off, making Yamaguchi lose his balance and windmill into Tsukki.

 

_Clink!_

 

Everyone freezes as they eye the coin purse that fell out of Yamaguchi’s shirt.

 

“Is that my-?” Daichi trails off in confusion.

 

And then it clicks.

 

“ _Run!_ ” Yamaguchi shouts as he scoops up Daichi’s coin purse from the ground. The four boys instantly split up and disperse into the crowd.

 

“Oh fuck me,” Daichi mutters under his breath. He takes off after them and the crowd parts to let him through.

 

At first Daichi scans for Yamaguchi as he runs in the general direction the boy went, but eventually gives up and begins to chase Hinata after he catches a sight of orange bedhead. They sprint through the streets and weave through market stands, Hinata nimbly leaping over the carts, Daichi much less gracefully so.

 

“Get back here!” Daichi demands. Hinata gives a fearful look over his shoulder as he runs deeper into the town, leading Daichi far from the main roads. He winds them back and forth, up and down alleys and sideroads until Daichi realizes that he’s in a very different part of the city. When he finally loses sight of Hinata he slows down to catch his breath and get a grip on his surroundings.

 

The streets are much more narrow and unpaved. The buildings are older, and there’s hardly any foot-traffic that passes by these hole-in-the-wall businesses. Frustrated, Daichi reaches for his map, only to discover that it isn’t in his belt anymore. He swears.

 

“Damn brats. They probably took my map too.” Daichi ruffles his hair and kicks the ground. “Dammit!” He loosens his collar and scans up and down the street for any signs of the thieves.

 

At the end of the street he catches a glimpse of a shop door being hurriedly shut as a tattered cloak sweeps inside. _Gotcha._

 

Daichi hastily makes his way to the shop and rips the door open, marching inside to find the punkass kids who stole his money. Instead, he’s greeted with the sight of flowers.

 

Tons of them. All along the walls are planters full of pale blossoms and different herbs. There are even air terrariums dangling from the ceiling. The bushels of flowers offer a sweet aroma, which is refreshing after the stench of the garbage in the streets. Daichi tugs at his collar again, allowing the cool air to reach his skin. Some of the flowers are so tall that it’s hard to see around them, so Daichi takes a few more steps into the shop in order to peer behind the plants.

 

“Can I help you, sir?” a voice rings out. Daichi swallows and glances around, looking for the source of the voice.

 

“Pardon me, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Daichi calls out as he navigates around a planter. “I’m just trying to-” Daichi’s voice instantly dies in his throat as he sees the owner of the voice. A young man around his age leans against the counter at the back of the shop, his hands full of herbs that he wraps in a parcel. Daichi _swears_ he can see a halo of light reflect around his soft ashy hair.

 

He flashes Daichi a sweet smile. “You’re trying to…?” he asks. Daichi’s mouth feels dry as he becomes captivated in his warm eyes.

 

Daichi realizes that he must be staring and quickly looks away. What was he even here for again? “I uh-” he clears his throat. “I was looking for something.” He pulls nervously at his collar again. Was it getting hotter in here?

 

The shopkeeper places his work down and brushes his hands off on his apron. “Were you looking for something specific? I can help you pick something out,” he tells Daichi and walks around the counter. “We just picked wild flowers this morning, so you’re in luck, everything is still fresh.” He pulls an azalea out of a barrel and offers it to Daichi, “Here, smell.”

 

Daichi leans in and smells the flower. It was nice, fresh, like he said, but Daichi couldn’t focus over the scent of the man’s clothes. He smells like crisp pine needles after a fresh snow, and the scent was intoxicating. Daichi’s ears burn red, _Oh my god what am I even thinking-_

 

“It’s pretty, right?” he grins at Daichi.

 

Daichi looks up at the shopkeeper’s face, still dumbstruck. “...Gorgeous.”

 

The shopkeeper hums in agreement, not realizing that Daichi definitely was not referring to the flower, and tucks the azalea into his apron pocket. “Were you looking for flowers though? We also have medicinal herbs that you can use for sores or illness, and herbs for cooking, aromatherapy… everything really,” he laughs. “Sorry, I’m rambling. I just really like plants.

 

Daichi manages to crack a smile. “I can tell.” He takes one more glance around the shop and decides that he must’ve imagined seeing his thief run in here. Besides, how could a smile that sweet be hiding a street rat like that in his store? He shakes his head. _Oh well._ He may as well buy Ennoshita’s mom some flowers while he was here though. Daichi turns back to the shopkeeper. “Do you think you could make me a bouquet? Mister, uh...”

 

“Sugawara,” he waves his hand, “but just call me Suga, everyone does.”

 

“Suga,” Daichi repeats. “My name is-” _Should I give him my family name too? Wouldn’t it seem too forward of me to ask him to use my first name? But if he hears the name Sawamura he might figure me out. I guess I could give him a fake name… No, who the fuck wants to be called Daikon. First name it is._ “-Daichi.”

 

Suga claps his hands together. “Alright then, Daichi, let’s get started.” Suga leads him deeper into the store and grabs his shears from the counter. “Do you know what kind of flowers you’d like?”

 

“Umm,” Daichi hums. He takes a look at the selection and eventually picks out a single yellow rose with red tips. “This looks nice.” When he pulls it out of the barrel he notices that the stem is still covered in thorns. “Would you be able to cut the thorns off though?” he asks Suga.

 

“Oh! Sure,” Suga replies. Was that disappointment in his voice? “Were you...just going to give her this one?”

 

Her? Had Daichi told Suga he was going to give the flowers to Ennoshita’s mom? “I’m not really sure, I just wanted to make a good impression,” Daichi laughs sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck.

 

“Ah, well this is good then. This flower has a lot of meaning, she’ll probably be really happy you picked it out for her,” Suga tells him.

 

Daichi cocks his head. “Why?”

 

Suga begins to trim off the thorns on the rose. “This color rose can mean friendship or falling in love, and a thornless rose is love at first sight.” He hands the rose to Daichi. “On top of that it’s a single rose, which is another romantic gesture of love.”

 

“Oh my god, no, then I don’t want that one,” Daichi cringes.

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“I’m getting these flowers for my brother’s _mother_ ,” he explains. Suga makes an “o” with his mouth and throws his head back in laughter.

 

“Oh dear, then yeah don’t get this for her! That’d be bad. Sorry, I forget sometimes that not everyone knows as much about the language of flowers as I do,” he apologizes, embarrassed.

 

“It’s alright, no worries,” says Daichi. _He’s cute when he’s flustered._

 

Suga goes back behind the counter and begins to cut a large piece of parcel paper. “I just assumed you were getting flowers for your girlfriend, like most customers. But they’re for your mother? That’s sweet.”

 

Daichi shakes his head. “Oh no, I’m not seeing anyone. And they’re for my half-brother’s mother, I’m not really related to her.” Suga’s eyebrows shot up again and Daichi wasn’t sure which piece of information was more shocking. “I’m going to visit her for the first time today,” he adds, prompting for Suga’s eyes to widen even more.

 

“You’ve never met your brother’s mother before?”

 

“Our family is pretty unorthodox,” Daichi admits. “My half-brother is an illegitimate child, but my father took him in to live with us, so he doesn’t get to see his mother often.”

 

“Ohh, I see,” Suga nods, unbothered by Daichi’s strange family situation. “May I ask why you haven’t visited her before today?”

 

“Erm.” _Because I’ve been locked up in a palace for twenty years? How do I make that sound normal...Quick just bullshit your way out of this Daichi._ “I’m not from around here.” Okay. That wasn’t a complete lie.

 

“You’re new to Karasuno? Well then welcome! Where did you move from?”

 

“My brother and I just moved here from...Seijoh,” Daichi lies through his teeth. He didn’t like lying to Suga. It didn’t feel right to be untruthful to someone who was so kind to him, but he doesn’t really have a choice. Lie or expose himself.

 

“I have a friend from Seijoh too!” Suga says. “He helps around the shop sometimes.” Suga goes on to talk about his stoic friend who doesn’t talk a lot about Seijoh, and how he’s sure he misses his home. Suga hasn’t ventured outside of Karasuno, but he says he’d like to one day if he saves up enough money to go and travel the world. Daichi listens to him talk about his plans (and his plants) as they pick out a few more flowers for his bouquet (hydrangeas, for gratitude). Their conversation is light and flows easily as if they’ve been friends for a lifetime and didn’t just meet minutes ago.

They discover soon that they have similar tastes in literature and Daichi promises to lend Suga a certain book the next time he swings by.

 

 _If,_ Daichi thinks. _If I can escape one more time._ Suga hands the finished bouquet over to Daichi.

 

“That’ll be two copper pieces.”

 

Daichi reaches towards his belt to grab his coin purse, only to be met with the disappointing reminder that he was in fact, broke and had been scammed by teenagers. “Shit.”

 

“Something wrong?”

 

“I forgot, some kids stole all of my money today.” He adds after a pause, “I swear I’m not trying to scam you into giving me free flowers.”

 

Suga waves his hand. “That’s okay, think nothing of it. Just take them.”

 

“But I can’t pay-”

 

“Daichi, please, I insist.” Suga winks. “Just promise to lend me that book, yeah?”

 

Daichi grins. “Okay, I promise.”

 

And as Daichi left Suga’s shop that day, flowers in his arms, the only thing that could go through his mind was:

 

_I have to see him again._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will daichi ever get his money back? why was kageyama so pissed at hinat?? find out sOON
> 
> hmu @chahans on tumblr and scream at me to hurry up


	3. 2! 3! (times the charm)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Suga is a single mother just looking to find his way in the world of collarbones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy thanksgiving!! i'm alive i'm sorry for the long wait ;'( things got really busy for me. i wasn't planning on this fic being so long but now that i look at it it's probably gonna be stretched out a bit. oh well
> 
>  
> 
> enjoy!!

Suga considers himself to be a good person. He doesn’t litter,  he helps take care of the neighborhood orphans, he doesn’t steal.

 

Okay, that was a lie, he does steal. 

 

A lot, actually.

 

To be honest, he steals so often that he became the leader of a group of thieves. But for good reason, he swears! Growing up Suga never had a lot of money, (to be fair, he still doesn’t have a lot of money), so he resorted to stealing to survive, but only from people who had plenty. In fact, he became so good at it that he began to steal for his other poor neighbors as well and started providing for everybody in need by sneaking into the upper class sections of the kingdom and taking from the rich. As he got older it was harder to do the job on his own, but thankfully the orphan boys from the neighborhood were more than willing to trash a couple of rich people’s homes (maybe a little  _ too _ willing Suga sometimes thinks).

 

But more on that later, time to get back on topic. Suga’s a good person.

 

So why the  _ hell _ does he deserved to be punished like this?

 

It’s been a slow day, before dawn broke he made a trip into the forest to gather more flowers, but right now Suga busies himself with slicing large squares of parchment paper on his workspace counter for an order of medicinal herbs. He enjoys his work, and looks down proudly at the parcel he’s just finished wrapping. He takes in a deep breath; it wasn’t everyday he got to be alone in the shop without his assistants. They were lovely boys but sometimes Suga just needed time to appreciate a peaceful day by himself. 

 

At least, it  _ was _ a peaceful day. The door rings. Suga looks up, expecting a customer, or maybe one of his assistants back with the lunch he sent them to go buy.

 

He was  _ not _ expecting Hinata to come flying through the door, leaping over three planters and sliding across Suga’s workspace, knocking aside his work and various pots, in order to scramble under the desk to hide. He crashed into Suga in the process, knocking the wind out of him.

 

“Hinata what on earth-” Suga gasps out. Hinata’s hands fly out from under the table and flap for Suga to keep his voice down, his eyes wide with fear. Of Suga-san. He fucked up. He was fucking terrified of Suga-san. Oh god they’d fucked up...

 

“Shh! Suga-san, I know you told us not to pickpocket other people but-” Hinata gulps. Suga narrows his eyes.

 

“You  _ what? _ ”

 

Hinata peaks up over the counter at the door, praying that the stranger doesn’t barge in after him at that exact moment. Or maybe he should, Suga wouldn’t be able to murder Hinata’s ass if there were witnesses.

 

“We know you don’t like it when we pickpocket but, but this guy was so  _ easy _ , Suga-san! He was basically asking for us to take his money, you should have seen the way he acted, like he’s never been outside before-” Suga glances over the counter and sees a shadow pass by the window.

 

He leans back down near Hinata’s face and hisses, “Hinata, I swear to all things good in life, as soon as I’m through with this guy I’m gonna be through with you. Do you understand.” Hinata clamps his hands over his mouth and nods.  Suga sighs and straightens back up just as the stranger rips the door open and steps inside.  _ Poor guy, _ he thinks.  _ The boys probably robbed some old man again… _

 

Lord, he could not have been farther from the truth. Suga sees the man before the man sees him, suddenly grateful for the the flowers blocking the way, because his jaw physically drops. 

 

Not an old man. Definitely not an old man. Was it getting hot in here? Suga can’t help but let his gaze drag up the man’s body, admiring his broad shoulders and sun-kissed skin. Suga shakes his head quickly, recomposing himself. Was he seriously just ogling the man his wild pack of orphans had stolen from? He can practically hear Tsukishima’s snide teasing already.  _ 10 out of 10, would steal from again. _

 

_ Keep it together, Suga! _ Suga clears his throat and calls out to him. “Can I help you, sir?” He just had to get the man to leave and then tear his adopted children’s hair out and  _ oh my god is he tugging on his collar look at those collarbones- _

 

\----

 

Suga’s a good person. He doesn’t deserve to be punished like this. He didn’t deserve having to lie to that poor, gorgeous stranger.  _ Daichi.  _ He didn’t deserve having to lie to Daichi, and pretend like his band of orphan thieves didn’t just steal his life’s savings away. He didn’t deserve having to make small talk with Daichi while Daichi continuously pulled at his collar to reveal his collarbones. 

 

Suga groans into his hands after Dachi leaves the shop. Why why  _ why _ did he invite him to come back again? Or a better question, how could the boys choose to steal from the single person in this goddamn city who not only was polite but also attractive as hell? He couldn’t imagine what he could have done in his past life to deserve this: him, the owner of a humble flower shop, just trying to make it in the city while raising four teenage boys, and being humiliated constantly by those four said boys.

 

Speaking of.

 

Suga whips around just in time to see Hinata sneaking up the back staircase that leads to their flat.

 

“Where do you think you’re going, mister.” Hinata freezes. If he runs he’s dead. If he goes to Sugawara he’s dead. Maybe if he stands very still he can become one with the staircase and Sugawara will take pity that Hinata is now a petrified staircase-boy. Suga grabs him by the back of his collar and yanks him back to the floor of the shop. It was worth a try. “Mind explaining yourself?”

 

Hinata gulps for the umpteenth time, and gives Suga his best puppy dog eyes. “We already spent all of our share from the last raid and the next raid isn’t for a while so… We were looking for some odd jobs in the plaza. But there was nothing, so we were gonna give up and go home until we saw this guy walking around looking like he’s never been to the plaza before-- I mean you should have seen him! He kept his money in his  _ shirt _ \-- So we were gonna split up and have a team of two pickpocket him but we argued over whether Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would be better or Kageyama and I so we made it a competition of who could get to him first but along the way I made Kageyama spill his milk and he got super pissed so-”

 

“And whose marvelous idea was it to go against my wishes and pickpocket unsuspecting civilians?” Rule number one in the Crows (a stupid name really, what was Kageyama thinking when he had recommended they call themselves that): only steal from those who are well off. Don’t take from people who are already needy.

 

“Yamaguchi,” Hinata mumbled. “It was Yamaguchi’s marvelous idea.” Suga sighs. He should have expected as much. Yamaguchi’s innocent looks don’t give him enough credit for the mischievous mastermind he is. “But it was for a good reason!” Hinata pipes up. “We- we wanted to get you something nice for your birthday. But we wouldn’t have enough money saved up until the next raid, and we didn’t want to wait that long.” Hinata blinks his big doe eyes and his lip trembles.

 

_ Godammit.  _ Suga is a grown man, he will  _ not _ fall for puppy eyes. He will especially not fall for them when his adorable kouhais tried to do something for him out of the goodness in their hearts. They went behind his back and disobeyed him in doing so, but it’s the thought that counts. 

 

Suga grits his teeth. Why did he ever decide to let these four live with him and raise them as if they were his actual brothers? They were a pain, and they’re idiots. (“But we’re _your_ idiots,” he could hear Yamaguchi saying.) “Hinata, what you guys did was _very wrong_ do you understand me? I don’t ever want to see you doing that again.”

 

“But what if you don’t  _ see _ us-”

 

“ _ Hinata.” _

 

“...understood.”

 

Suga lets go of Hinata’s collar and ruffles his hair roughly. “I’ll scold the others later. When you see them tell them you all have dish and garbage duty for a month. And that you’re grounded. And I’m taking 50% out of all of your earnings to give back to the neighborhood.” 

 

“But-”

 

“No buts, you guys broke rule number one.” Suga may love the boys like his own children but he knew when to put his foot down.

 

“Not to mention what you did was incredibly stupid,” another voice said, making both Suga and Hinata startle. A man with dark hair and sharp eyes emerges from behind an especially large planter of flowers, scowling. “If there happened to be any palace guards walking around the plaza you would’ve been caught.”

 

“Iwaizumi, you scared me,” Suga lets out a shaky laugh.

 

Hinata pokes his tongue out at Iwaizumi. “He was just a farmhand, not like the guards would’ve cared anyways.”

 

Iwaizumi gives a strange look that Suga can’t read, but doesn’t say anything more. Hinata squirms under his gaze and leaps towards the stairs.

 

“N-Nevermind, I’ll see you two at dinner!” he calls over his shoulders as he dashes up to the flat.

 

After hearing the door slam at the top of the stairs Suga mutters under his breath, “I swear if I don’t kill them first these kids will be the death of me.” He rubs his hands over his face in exasperation. Iwaizumi, his closest friend, only lets out a dry laugh in response and moves towards his workbench.

 

Their friendship had been an unexpected one. Around a year ago Suga had found Iwaizumi in the forest, running from Seijoh military police. He had helped him escape by climbing up a tree and hiding both of them within the branches (one gets quite good at climbing after so many house burglaries). From the beginning Iwaizumi had been quiet and never talked about his personal life much, but Suga didn’t mind. He assumed that Iwaizumi had also gotten in trouble with the law which resulted in him fleeing from Seijoh. Outlaws gotta stick together, right?

 

It was Iwaizumi who first suggested that Suga start to steal as a full-time job, maybe even get a crew to make the job easier.  _ If one can even call stealing a job, _ Suga thinks. Occasionally Iwaizumi would accompany them, but for the most part he would stay back at the shop and work. He was quiet and dependable, and Suga suspects that despite all their teasing the boys thought of Iwaizumi as more of a mother figure than himself, seeing as he did a better job at keeping them in line. Sometimes Iwaizumi would disappear at odd hours only to return days later. Iwaizumi Hajime is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle bundled in a mystery, but again, Suga didn’t mind. If anything he was grateful that there was someone other than four teenage boys to keep him company and with whom he could talk about the criminal acts they’d performed.

 

God, Suga’s life is fucked up.

 

“You’re way too easy on them you know,” Iwaizumi says from where he grinds herbs in a mortar.

 

Taking his place in the workbench next to his, Suga replies, “I’m trying my best okay! It’s not easy being a single parent in the big city with his own business and four children.” Suga wipes away a fake tear. “Besides, did you hear what he said? They were trying to get a gift for  _ me _ .”

 

Iwaizumi snorts. “Single parent my ass. You think I don’t live here too?”

 

Suga laughs. “I guess that’s true,  _ Dadd- _ ”

 

In the blink of an eye Iwaizumi has the pestle at Suga’s throat. “Don’t you fucking dare finish that sentence.” Suga gives a cheeky wink and Iwaizumi lets out an irritated huff as he rolls his eyes. He would never hurt Suga, no matter how annoying he was. Which could be a lot. How did he even put up with the five of them? “Besides, wouldn’t you rather be saying that to loverboy.”

 

Suga instantly turns as red as the amaryllis he’s holding. “Oh my god, were you here for all of that?”

 

“Unfortunately. I’m surprised you guys didn’t hear me gagging in the back.”

 

“You were  _ eavesdropping?! _ ”

 

“If someone wasn’t able to hear your flirting, I would seriously be worried about their hearing.”

 

Suga covers his face with his hands. “I wasn’t flirting.”

 

“Really? Because it looked like you were one step away from sucking his dick.” Suga slugs Iwaizumi in the arm and he yelps. “Jesus! Okay I’m sorry I’ll stop teasing.”

 

“Good.” Suga turns back to his work. “Besides, he probably won’t come back. Or even if he did things wouldn’t get very far.” The dating scene was pretty tough for the most wanted crime boss in the kingdom.

 

Iwaizumi hums thoughtfully. “Yeah, but you weren’t the only one who looked smitten. I’d place good money he’ll be back.”

 

“You mean the good money I pay you?”

 

“You mean the good money you _ steal? _ ”

 

“...touché.”

 

They work in silence. “Just, be careful. Okay? He seems nice but I get a feeling that there’s more to him than meets the eye.” Iwaizumi, ever suspicious, ever cautious with strangers. Suga was surprised he had been so accepting with his little crush at all.

 

He elbows Iwaizumi playfully. “Aww, are you worried about me? Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing  _ Dad- _ ”

 

“You know what forget it, fuck you. I hope he turns out to be a serial killer and he abandons your body in a ditch.”

 

“Iwaizumi-”

 

“And that all your flowers die.”

 

“ _ Iwaizumi! _ ”

 

\--

 

Hinata lay sprawled across his mattress, staring at the ceiling.  _ Grounded for a month? _ Who was Sugawara to tell them what they can and can’t do? It’s not like he feeds them, gave them a home, took all of them into his house when he was already struggling to make it on his own. Hinata pouts. He knew what they did was wrong but they were just trying to do something nice.

 

Just then the other three open up the balcony window and crawl inside. Hinata sits up. “We’re not supposed to run across the roofs during the daytime, you know.” They pad inside and dump themselves onto the beds. They have to share because there’s only two. The flat is a meager two-bedroom layout with low ceilings and bad insulation, but it was home. Sugawara sleeps in the other room. Hinata suspects Iwaizumi sleeps in the basement.

 

Kageyama scowls. “How else were we supposed to get back here without leading Mr. Oblivious right to our front door.” Hinata gulps. Oops. “You idiot. You didn’t.”

 

“I panicked okay!” 

 

Yamaguchi looks up. “Hinata! What would happen if Suga-san saw him?”

 

“Murder him?” Kageyama offered.

 

“Actually, he just flirted.” Three pairs of disbelieving eyes snap onto Hinata. “They talked for awhile and Suga-san made him a bouquet. Apparently he’s a farmhand who just moved here from Seijoh. He even invited him to come back.” They stared at him, slack-jawed.

 

Tsukishima was the first to break the silence. “He’s not a farmhand. At least not any ordinary one. Did you see what he was wearing? That’s the uniform for palace servants.”

 

“So... does that mean we get to keep the money?”

 

“Actually, we’re all grounded,” Hinata admits. They let out a collective groan. Yamaguchi holds Kageyama back from promptly beating the shit out of Hinata.

 

\--

 

A week goes by. Daichi’s been holed up in his office and hasn’t been able to escape again like he’d wanted to. Thanks to Suga’s directions he did end up finding Ennoshita’s mom’s house (she loved the flowers). She cried when he invited her to live at the palace. She had to finish some business in town but as soon as she was done she’d be ready to move in.

 

Daichi runs his fingers through his hair and attempts to re-read the same sentence he had been staring at for the past half hour. He lets his head fall to his desk; it was futile. There’s no way he was going to be able to focus when all he had on his mind was visiting a certain flower shop downtown. Curse Sugawara Koushi for making him lose focus.

 

Ennoshita knocks on his door. “Tired?” Daichi only groans in response. “Want me to take over?”

 

He snaps his head up. “Are you serious?”

 

“Dead. I need a break from these two.” Ennoshita jerks his head over his shoulder towards a squabbling Tanaka and Nishinoya, his newly appointed guards. Captain Kiyoko wasn’t kidding when she told Ennoshita that he would have to pay her back big time. In exchange for turning a blind eye whenever Ennoshita (cough cough Daichi) needed to escape, he had had to agree to finally take the rowdy pair of newbie guards off of her hands. The price of freedom was a steep one, he supposes. “Here, move over. Let me at that paperwork.”

 

Daichi reluctantly stands up. “Are you sure?”

 

“I’m pretty sure I saw this exact file on your desk two days ago. You’re not getting anything done so just get out of here and go visit your flowerboy.” Ennoshita smirks. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your wistful sighs, Prince Charming.” Daichi feels his face heat up. He had told Ennoshita all about his excursion into town (minus the getting robbed part) and now his teasing was nonstop.

 

“Whatever, thanks. I owe you one pal,” Daichi says and claps Ennoshita on the shoulder.

 

Ennoshita just waves him off. “Yeah, yeah. Go have fun. Use protection.” Daichi flips him the bird as he walks out.

 

\--

 

His arms are full as he tries to make his way through the crowded streets. With the chilly winter air blowing through his thin servant cloak he shivers and regrets not putting on more layers. Daichi struggles to hold his book underneath a pot of mixed color alstroemerias, readjusting his grip every few minutes in order not to drop them. Their petals are bright and delicate, and he is careful as he passes others to protect the blossoms from being torn. They had been a last-minute gift idea; he had asked Yachi to dig up one of the plants from the gardens and place it in a pot right before he left.

 

It wasn’t weird to bring flowers on the first date was it? Wait, was there even a date? Daichi wouldn’t know, he’s never been on one before. All Suga had said was to come by again with the book. Maybe Suga  _ wasn’t _ flirting back with him and he’s just really into books? And flowers. Daichi realizes very belatedly that Suga just as well may not be at home and that his efforts to bring by his gift were pointless, but he tries to ignore the nervousness building in his stomach and continues on. He finally makes it onto the right street and the pep in his step picks up a bit as he nears the flower shop. He can see Suga outside loading items into a cart with another man.

 

“Suga!” Suga looks up and his face promptly breaks into a grin that could blind the sun.

 

“Daichi! Welcome back! What brings you here?” He waves at him and Daichi’s heart melts. The other man stops loading the cart and gives Daichi a scrutinizing look up and down. 

 

Daichi walks over to them and Suga takes the potted plant from his arms. “I wanted to give these to you. Oh! And the book.” He holds it up and smiles. “I didn’t forget.”

 

Suga’s eyes go wide. “For me? Daichi these alstroemerias are beautiful. Where on earth did you find them?”

 

“They were growing around my landlord’s garden and they reminded me of you so I took them. I asked first though, I’m not a thief or anything.”

 

Suga laughs awkwardly. “Haha, yeah, that’d be bad. Stealing is bad.” 

 

Iwaizumi clears his throat and Suga blinks. “Oh, right! This is my friend Iwaizumi, he’s the one from Seijoh that I was telling you about. Iwaizumi, Daichi is from Seijoh too,” Suga says.

 

Iwaizumi offers his hand. “Nice to meet you.” Daichi takes it and is surprised by his strong grip. “What part of Seijoh are you from?”

 

_ Crap. _ Daichi had seen maps of Seijoh before, but he’s pretty sure if he tries to make something up Iwaizumi will see right through his bluff. “Uh...the north?” It must sound believable enough because Iwaizumi nods.

 

“And you said you just moved here right?”

 

“Yeah, my brother and I work as farmhands on the other end of the kingdom.”

 

“The other end?! You walked all the way across the kingdom to bring these to me?” Suga asks.

 

Daichi shrugs. “It was no big deal, really.”

 

Suga hugs the pot closer to his chest. “Well it’s a big deal to me. Thank you, Daichi, I love them. That was so sweet of you.” He rushes inside to place the plant and book down and comes back out. “Iwaizumi and I were just about to make deliveries, would you like to join us?”

 

_ I would join you if you were literally about to walk into a volcano. _ “Sure, if that’s okay with you.”

 

Suga nods enthusiastically, clearly pleased. Iwaizumi flicks Daichi a look that says  _ If you fuck with Suga I will fuck you up.  _ Iwaizumi waves his hand. “If that’s the case then I’ll just stay behind, Suga. You two have fun on your date,” he calls out as he walks back into the shop. 

 

Daichi hopes his blush is mistaken for the bite of the cold air, until he notices that Suga’s cheeks are just as pink as his.

 

They begin down the street, pulling the cart behind them. “So I take it that Iwaizumi is not your boyfriend, then?” Daichi teases.

 

Suga chokes on his spit. “Heavens no. He’s just a friend who happens to live with me and works for me.”

 

“Ah, so it’s just you two running the shop?”

 

He shakes his head. “Nuh-uh. We have children too.”

 

Daichi almost trips over his feet in surprise and he stops walking. “You have  _ children? _ ” His mouth drops open.

 

Suga tilts his head back and laughs, his entire body shaking. “No no, they’re not mine. They’re just boys from the neighborhood who don’t have families, so I took them in.”

 

Letting out a shaky breath, Daichi laughs too. “I was gonna say, you seem way too young to have kids already. But that’s really kind of you to take them in.”

 

“Yeah. I mean, I know how hard it is to grow up without a family or a home, so I couldn’t bring myself to let them live on the streets anymore.” Daichi is shocked to learn about this side of Suga. One wouldn’t be able to tell that Suga grew up on the streets from just looking at him. And the fact that he now has his own small business and home? Daichi is becoming more impressed with Sugawara by the minute. They continue to chat as they walk, occasionally stopping to make deliveries of flowers or herbs to Suga’s patrons. Daichi learns more about Suga’s life at home ( _ Seriously? The six of you all live in that tiny flat? _ ) and about the boys ( _ Come over for dinner some time! I’ll introduce you to them in person. _ )

 

As they’re reaching the end of their route Suga turns to Daichi. “So, anything else you’re interested to know?”

 

“Yeah, just one question. Was Iwaizumi-san right?”

 

“Huh? About what?”

 

Daichi tilts his head and smiles. “Is this a date?”

 

Suga seems taken aback at first, but then returns a sly smile. “If you’d like it to be.”

 

“I’d like that very much.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw i know like nothing about flowers or what climate or where they grow in so if i get that wrong im sorry  
> here's what an [alstroemeria](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1ijDqJpXXXXXlXpXXq6xXFXXX2/2pcs-Bag-font-b-Alstroemeria-b-font-Seed-Ligtu-Hybrids-Lily-Of-Peru-Seed-Narcissus-Lily.jpg) looks like
> 
> it makes me so happy when you guys comment on my work so thank you!! :))

**Author's Note:**

> my blog is [chahans](http://www.chahans.tumblr.com/html/) ,,plz let me know if im doing an ok job;
> 
> comments are greatly appreciated!!! let me know what you like or didn't, it motivates me to write faster ! seriously


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